Abstract
The purpose of this work was the synthesis, characterization and efficacy evaluation of new biocompatible antioxidant polymers linking trans-ferulic acid or α-lipoic acid. In particular, ferulic or lipoic acid were introduced in the preformed polymeric backbone. The new antioxidant biopolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The degree of functionalization (moles of antioxidant per gram of polymer) was determined by the Gaur-Gupta method for free amino group determination and by the Folin method for the phenolic groups. Their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation were estimated in rat liver microsomal membranes induced in vitro by tert-BOOH (tert-butyl hydroperoxide), as a source of free radicals. The DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging effect was also evaluated. The obtained systems, with different solubility, showed strong antioxidant and antiradical activities, suggesting potential use as packaging materials for foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the synthesized polymers was also evaluated on Caco-2 cell cultures in order to verify their biocompatibility when exposed to an absorptive epithelial cell line.
Highlights
Reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, peroxide, and singlet oxygen are constantly generated in the human body and they are involved in various physiologically important biological reactions
They could be applied in those fields in which the use of a single molecule with antioxidant activity is prohibitive; for example, they can be used in hemodialysis applications, in particular, by their introduction in dialysis membranes [20]
Many problems in hemodialysis patients derive from oxidative stress resulting from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense mechanisms, which contributes to cardiovascular disease and accelerated atherosclerosis, the major causes of mortality in these patients
Summary
Reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, peroxide, and singlet oxygen are constantly generated in the human body and they are involved in various physiologically important biological reactions. The use of conventional antioxidants may be conditioned by unfavourable pharmacokinetics, by a short action time due to rapid metabolization, and by excessive absorption that leads to toxic effects For these reasons, it is thought that linking antioxidant molecules to polymeric matrices by covalent bonds may lead to systems that improve the transport and metabolic stability of low molecular weight antioxidants, and the rate of degradation will be reduced, ensuring a longer persistence than free antioxidants [15,16,17,18,19]. Many problems in hemodialysis patients derive from oxidative stress resulting from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense mechanisms, which contributes to cardiovascular disease and accelerated atherosclerosis, the major causes of mortality in these patients
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